Drivers sue Aurora police after being held at gunpoint during traffic stop

AURORA, Colo. — A number of drivers have filed a lawsuit against Aurora police after they say they were held at gunpoint, handcuffed and had their cars searched during a two-hour-plus traffic stop.

The lawsuit was filed Friday in a federal court, said David A. Lane, an attorney with Denver-based firm Killmer, Lane & Newman, LLP.

Lane said the traffic stop occurred at an Aurora intersection last year. Aurora police officers stopped 29 cars while looking for a bank robbery suspect. The suspect had a GPS transponder in the stolen money, however, police said they could not pinpoint which car the transponder was located in.

According to the lawsuit, the travelers who were stopped by police during the search claimed that officers held them at gunpoint, kept them in handcuffs for several hours and had their cars searched even though they had not committed a crime.

Drivers also said the searches continued after the suspect was apprehended.

The lawsuit said the traffic stop violated the Fourth Amendment’s “indispensable freedom” to be secure against unwarranted searches and seizures.

It also said that officers brandished ballistic shields and pointed guns at innocent citizens, including children under the age of 10.